Space Precinct – 8. Deadline

I didn’t have a ruddy clue what was going on for the first half of this episode. Characters kept popping up all over the place. I couldn’t work out who the bad guy was or what the police work was even about. I was ready to write Deadline off as a complete mess. But I enjoyed it a little bit too much for that. And by the end I was thoroughly entertained – not necessarily invested, but entertained. A hidden gem, it ain’t, but I wouldn’t call it a catastrophe either. Like a cheeky wink from Officer Haldane, it won me over but it turned my stomach a little in the process.

Also, can anyone guess why returning writing duo J. Larry Carroll and David Bennett Carren swapped their names around in the credits for this particular episode? I’m completely stumped. Their previous episodes were Double Duty and The Snake – very much a mixed bag in terms of quality! This particular story takes some unpicking, so please indulge me in figuring out what the heck is going on…

First up, another change to the opening titles. Remember this guy? A shot of the Cyborg from Time To Kill has replaced the shot of Armand Loyster from Protect and Survive… which in turn was a replacement for a shot of an alien from the 1991 Space Police Reloaded teaser. Talk about a rotating door!

Funnily enough, the frantic “This Episode” montage does little to clear up my confusion about the plot.

I’m not actually sure why this episode is called Deadline. It’s got the word “dead” in it so I suppose that’s vaguely relevant because people do indeed end up dead… Maybe “deadline” is the main thing the writers were thinking about when they handed in this script.

Brogan and Haldane are conveniently flying around nearby to explain what we’re looking at. Apparently what we’re seeing and hearing is an automated ad dirigible (a blimp to commoners like you and I), blasting commercials and posters over the streets of Demeter City for all to enjoy. Yay, capitalism! It’s chock full of fuel, so naturally it’s very safe and I foresee no highly explosive situations unfolding over the course of this story. The dirigible is a big fat steal from the movie Blade Runner (1982).

Trust me, I tried to identify the various clips that flick by on the ad screen, but they’re too darn fast and my movie knowledge is too darn limited. Most of them are establishing shots of Demeter City, but there’s other stuff like this elaborate spaceport which I’m guessing come from other productions. Perhaps it’s a showreel from one of the VFX technicians working on the series?

Apparently the advertising dirigible reminds Haldane of a belly dancer he once knew… were they a Teletubby?

Then, a car chase starts. Just like that. There’s even that truck in the background that we’ve seen in so many of the other Space Precinct chase sequences. It’s not exactly the most original start to an episode.

Sirens wail, Brogan and Haldane look all serious, the cruiser speeds up – you know the drill. Apparently the limo they’re chasing isn’t registered, which would be interesting if we’d had any time to absorb anything that’s happening. The pace of all this is ludicrously fast.

For a change though, Brogan and Haldane are joined for the chase by Castle and Took in their own cruiser. We know it’s their own cruiser because they have a little teddy bear mascot on the dashboard, which is a clever little way to distinguish it without building a whole new set. The model shots of the two cruisers flying side-by-side are pretty nice too. Obviously Haldane takes the opportunity to flirt because we’re just burning through all the tropes nice and early this week.

In another unexpected twist the limo they’re chasing opens up and lets out a yellow CGI… thing. For 1994, on a TV budget, it’s not too bad. “What the hell is that?!” remarks Haldane.

The yellow thing is heading for Ivory Towers – the tall, lit up building all the way over there which is practically screaming “blow me up” at us. Brogan bravely decides to pursue the missile-type-thing while Castle and Took fly off to keep tabs on the limo.

Brogan volunteers to knock the yellow missile of doom off course.

Haldane expresses his displeasure with the idea. The quips are coming thick and fast as they so often do during these nail-biting action sequences… and it’s as thoroughly irritating as always.

Wind is blown in their faces to convey maximum acceleration. It’s cheesy but I like it.

Haldane signals the perfect moment to knock the missile off course. I know this type of thing has been done in a zillion different action movies, but I’m personally reminded of the Thunderbirds episode Ricochet.

The rocket plops into the ground in front of the Interchem building from Flash… a business which probably should have been shut down following the events of that episode.

Brogan and Haldane are about to make a rather less dignified landing.

So, in a refreshing change to the car chase formula, instead of the assailant skidding along the ground and crashing into something we instead get the police cruiser skidding along the ground and crashing into something. What a twist.

Mona will not be pleased.

“Table for two?” quips Brogan. For that, I hope the sign drops on his head.

The full-size rocket crash site on the live action set is quite impressive! It’s Skall Street from Enforcer re-dressed again, but it looks the part.

The doors (complete with padding for added comfort) open on cue to reveal that there’s a dead Tarn inside the rocket.

The lads have found themselves thrown into another exciting Space Precinct plot. They look thrilled.

Later, at the station house, tensions are running high… or something vaguely resembling high, anyway. Took and Castle lost track of the limo and Haldane sarcastically suggests it just disappeared. He’s being a right snippy little so-and-so today.

Slomo is here to do what he does best – dump exposition. He explains that the capsule was a Class A Sun Chariot built to fly into the suns (plural).

Castle uses some Latin and Haldane gets turned on by it. Someone give that guy a cold shower. “Corpus delicti” means “body of the crime” for those of you without a law or a classics degree – we plebs would use the term “evidence,” but I realise that’s frightfully common.

Slomo can’t help but try to give us a Latin lesson and correct Haldane on his moment of unnecessary horniness. Brogan sternly reminds the silly robot to get to the point. Slomo declares they have “zipola” on the dead Tarn in regards to identification.

Fortunately, Fredo has the coroner’s report ready to deliver at that exact moment. It’s on a floppy disk because Space Precinct needs to remind us at least once per episode that it was made in the 90s and there’s no changing that fact.

The deceased Tarn was missing his heart, liver and all three kidneys – three kidneys because he’s an alien – duh. “Sounds like a Brooklyn deli,” quips Haldane. Normally, the scene would end at this point so the audience at home can sit in stone dead silence and not laugh at the joke.

But instead, for once, the characters react by rolling their eyes and walking away…

Leaving poor Jack to wallow in embarrassment. This is a nice touch. Haldane’s already been particularly annoying this week, so a brief moment of humiliation feels earned. It turns the typically unfunny gag that we’ve come to expect into a reasonably funny bit of metahumour.

Meanwhile, Podly has received an invoice. The props department are always good at this sort of thing and it does indeed have the name of a made-up building contractor at the top of it, even though it’s near-impossible to make out on camera. It’s the bill to repair Mona’s Cafe and, as expected, Brogan and Haldane seem to be in trouble for causing the smash.

But no! The humour has been redirected again! How marvellous! Podly scrunches up the paper and agrees that Brogan and Haldane did the right thing to save Ivory Towers from destruction.

Podly has a more important piece of paper to discuss. He reminds the officers about an interplanetary report they received “a couple of months ago from planet Danae about organ-leggers working their wharf area.” I’m quoting the exact line because heaven knows I can’t explain what he’s going on about. This is where the episode lost me a bit because the exposition comes thick and fast. Brogan adds that “a number of very important surgeons got caught with their knives in the cookie jar.” Again, you need to be paying close attention to follow what’s happening. Basically, killers got away with stealing vital organs to supply transplant surgeons, who apparently turned a blind eye to where the organs were coming from. Now, because a Tarn corpse dropped on Mona’s Cafe minus some vital bits, Podly suspects the organ-leggers have come to Altor. He puts Brogan and Haldane on the case.

Haldane tries to protest about his workload. Podly tries to take off his glasses. Neither are particularly successful.

The lads are sent home to rest. I remain fascinated by Podly’s trophy collection. Apparently he’s an award-winning bowls champion.

Next to a colourful vat of dry ice, Patrick and Sally Brogan relax for the evening. They start to smooch because, let’s be honest, the conversation was pretty dull.

Liz Brogan, the most annoying of all the Brogans, comes to interrupt. She got 100% of her math exam. Well, at least there’s something she’s good at. The scene plays out exactly as you’d expect. Patrick, already exasperated by the interruption to their shenanigans, agrees to uphold the deal that he’ll reward Liz for her good test score. She asks for a trip to New Hawaii (a vacation destination previously mentioned in Enforcer). They quickly reach a compromise with a jar of peanut butter. Sounds fair to me.

Liz does a celebratory thing with her arms. Whatever you’ve gotta do, kid.

But here’s the side-splitting twist. Peanut butter is the hardest thing to find in Demeter City. Yes, we’re really going to get a subplot about Lieutenant Brogan tracking down a jar of peanut butter. And d’you know what? I’m not even mad about it. It’s so dumb that it breaks into new territory where you really don’t know how it’s going to get resolved. Plus, it’s very relatable. When I first moved from the UK to the US, there were suddenly all sorts of treats from home that were no longer available to me. Custard creams? Forget it. Frazzles? Jog on. Heinz Baked Beans? You’re living in a dream land. So, to me it makes perfect sense that Patrick Brogan would move to a whole new planet and have trouble finding his kid’s favourite snack from home. Heck, the American cast and writers were probably all quite homesick too by this point in the production after over three months slogging away at Pinewood.

Smooching resumes. Matt interrupts. No reason this time – just for lolz.

The next day, Brogan and Haldane get straight to work. We find them investigating a clinic belonging to Dr. Paul Jorry. A cheery automated voice advertises the benefits of organ donation, including getting your body shot into the suns aboard a Sun Chariot… which is a clue if ever I heard one. Haldane’s too busy thinking about lunch to notice.

The receptionist is quick to try and sign Brogan and Haldane up for organ donation. The Gerry Anderson series UFO keenly explored organ transplants, following some of the first heart and lung transplant operations of the late 1960s. The 1990s saw further advancements in transplantation methods and organ preservation, so it’s not surprising that the topic arose again in Space Precinct. Unlike in UFO, the ghoulishness is played for comedy as the receptionist pushes the idea of organ donation like it’s a timeshare for a condo. Alexa Rosewood makes her debut in the series as the receptionist, joining the repertory cast to play guest roles in almost every episode that followed.

Here’s a thoroughly impressive mix of live action and model set. The massive pipes running between buildings cover the join admirably. It’s a treat to see Demeter City bustling with activity.

A kid runs into a prostitute. He owes her money. The less we ask about that the better.

He steals some fruit from a wagon which is movie shorthand for, “oh isn’t he a loveable little scamp? A right Artful Dodger.” As always, the hair, make-up and costumes of the human background characters leave a lot to be desired.

This is Speedy, played by child actor Truan Munro – son of actors Susan Penhaligon and David Munro. He would have been about fourteen years old during filming and I have to say he’s pretty darn good in this. His New York accent is hammed up something rotten but it suits the character.

Speedy sees an opportunity and chucks himself across the bonnet of a sports car – there’s no stunt person small enough for the job, so Truan Munro basically has to do it for real. The car was seen parked at the end of the street just a few shots ago and is now moving very, very, very slowly. It’s slightly weird to see a regular car with wheels in Space Precinct anyway, but this one looks especially odd. It’s the same one used by Armand Loyster in Protect and Survive – another large alien crammed into a tiny car. The production used a 1989 I.A.D. Venus concept car. I sincerely hope they didn’t pay a single penny to use it because it looks ruddy silly.

The residents of whatever street this is come to show their concern for Speedy. Oh deary me, just look at them all. How was Space Precinct allowed to look this awful? Raymond Hughes was the series’ costume designer while Pam Meager supervised hair and make-up. I doubt either of them personally chose the look for these extras, but whoever looked at these people and said, “yeah, that’ll do,” woefully missed the mark. As with so many aspects of Space Precinct, the lack of design consensus between departments is plain to see. We’re a third of the way through the series and still not everyone is 100% sure what Demeter City and its residents are supposed to look like.

Speedy claims to have a broken leg. A chap with a big purple head appears from no-where and assures the driver that this is complete tosh. Gary Martin revoices the rich Creon with his generic American accent and fails to reflect the age or pomposity sculpted into the impressive mask for the character worn by Will Barton.

Udo Wirt, played by Rob Thirtle, is another triumph from Neill Gorton’s department. Bright purple is a bold colour to choose for a believable creature, but the wrinkles, huge bug eyes, and little wispy beard all add up to make it feel real.

Udo scares away young Speedy, but then shows his true colours. An extra hand picks the pocket of the wealthy Creon. Having a joke about aliens with extra hands goes all the way back to the Space Police: Star Laws pilot and it’s put to effective use here.

I should add that none of this business is actually very significant in the overall story. It’s just world building and character development that’s needlessly elaborate and muddies the water.

A Creon, who has red eyes and is therefore evil, takes out a glowing stick. Now, this stuff is relevant to the plot, but I couldn’t tell you why at this stage.

Udo says a fond farewell to the rich gentlemen who is blissfully unaware that he’s been conned. As you can see, Udo is being observed by two Creons standing barely two feet away from him. Subtle.

I’m fairly sure this guy walking through shot with the green hair is wearing Aleesha’s wig from Double Duty. Meanwhile, the extra with short yellow hair on screen right isn’t wearing much of anything.

Udo and Speedy congratulate one another on a job well done.

Rik is joined by an accomplice, Pike. I didn’t even have to check my cast list to figure out that Pike is played by Richard James of Officer Orrin fame. Yes, in addition to his regular role as Orrin, Richard James would occasionally pop on a new mask to play guest roles in the series. And, as a bonus, Richard gets to use his own voice here! Rik and Pike make a great duo on-screen, much in the same way that Orrin and Romek pair well because of their contrasting statures. And as for the cigarette holder – an inspired choice to give the character a touch of classy deviousness.

Apparently this glittery, glowing, green orb (which is obviously a child’s bouncy rubber ball), indicates that Rik and Pike have a perfect match for tissue and blood. A perfect match for what, we don’t know, but it’s fair to say these two creepy critters are involved in the organ harvesting business and Udo’s their next target. Frankly, that’s all that this scene needed to get across and there are several ways that could have been addressed more efficiently.

Back at the clinic, the doctor is in, and it’s none other than legendary actor of stage and screen, Steven Berkoff. Familiar to UFO fans as Captain Steve Minto, Berkoff undoubtedly came to Space Precinct as a result of John Glen’s involvement following the 1983 Bond movie, Octopussy, on which they both worked. He’s probably the most famous person to make a guest appearance in the whole series. Given Gerry Anderson’s prior experience butting heads with A-list egos, plus the general mismanagement of Space Precinct’s budget, it’s perhaps not surprising that guest roles were only rarely filled by household names.

A terribly impressive machine finishes carving up a patient by remote control, although Haldane finds it anything but impressive.

When questioned by Brogan, Dr. Jorry explains that he relies on paperwork alone to guarantee that his organ donors are above board. We can’t tell whether he’s hiding something sinister or not because they’ve hired Steven Berkoff and that’s what he’s good at.

The next patient, Mrs Vork, is wheeled in. She’s bright purple with multiple arms. Look familiar?

Jorry explains that Mrs Vork’s new liver is coming from asteroid A-16, donated following the death of a miner as a result of a cave-in. Meanwhile, some clever stuff is done in the wheelchair to demonstrate Mrs Vork’s multiple arms – series regular Joanna Berns is in the mask while someone else is crouched behind operating the extra set of hands. Simple, but effective.

Brogan and Haldane take their leave. Normally these interrogations end in a fist fight, so it’s nice to see everyone parting on good terms for once.

Brogan suggests they go and get lunch, but Haldane’s lost his appetite. It’s not nearly as funny as Ted Shackelford makes it out to be.

Rik and Pike, thoroughly sophisticated boys as they are, come swaggering down an alleyway looking for Wirt. They find him sleeping in a box and make quick work of dodging his sharp, stabby weapon before knocking him out with sleepy time gas.

Speedy is shocked to find his friend being dragged away but gets shot at before he can ask too many questions.

The limo we saw earlier blasts off and knocks Speedy off his feet. That’s the second stunt Truan Munro has had to perform himself. It’s a miracle the poor kid didn’t break something.

While the limo dashes across the city, Speedy struggles to find a working Vidphone – a nice touch to make Demeter feel like a real place with crumbling infrastructure.

It turns out the number for the emergency services is exactly the same in Demeter City as it is in the United States. How convenient.

What else is convenient is the fact that Brogan and Haldane happen to be flying nearby. Haldane finds the idea of a toe nail transplant yucky, which Brogan seems to have enormous fun mocking. Fredo gives the lads their orders to pursue the limo. It turns out Wirt’s grotty alleyway was ironically called “Paradise Street.”

Brogan and Haldane don’t have to wait long for the limo to come whizzing around the corner in front of them.

You know what that means – it’s time for our second car chase of the episode! Will it be much different from the first? Somehow I doubt it.

Brogan nearly hits a hoverbike and then has the audacity to complain when Haldane yells about it. Poor Jack can’t catch a break this week.

The crooks divert to a very familiar construction site – it’s the same one we saw in Time To Kill. Admittedly, that was in an alternate timeline so this is technically the first time Brogan and Haldane have taken this route for a car chase. Hey, if it looked good in one episode, you might as well make it look good in two!

Rik and Pike fly through a concealed hatchway to safety. Into what, exactly? Hmmm… not sure… could be anywhere…

Anywhere at all…

Haldane eats his own words because the limo has vanished into thin air. There’s no-where it could be. There’s absolutely nothing at all that could be hiding it. Not a gosh darn blimp-shaped thing…

Slomo’s just yumming up all the floppy disks he can eat today.

Speedy has been brought to the station house for questioning following Wirt’s disappearance. I notice that in more recent episodes they aren’t using the pokey little interrogation room set as much as they used to – somebody on the production finally figured out how rubbish it looked. We learn that Udo Wirt hardly had a spotless criminal record, but Speedy insists he was a decent guy who looked after him. Truan Munro plays the young boy with a heartbreaking tinge of weariness beyond his years. He complains that the police are unlikely to help someone like Wirt.

Speedy and Officer Castle share a look, as if she wants to apologise for something.

Brogan, heroic father figure that he is, says they’ll try to find Wirt. Castle has a little smile to herself. Speedy looks optimistic but his tone is far from trusting.

The boy refuses to accept a ride back to the city with police at the risk of damaging his street cred. Brogan shrugs comically because he’s just so sassy like that. Speedy bullies Slomo into telling him the time for the next shuttle to D.C. (Demeter City). I’ve always wondered how people actually get to the station house from the city if they don’t have a flying car of their own. It’s only just occurred to me how strange it is for a community hub like a police station to be up in orbit, as inaccessible as possible to the community it alleges to serve.

Speedy exits by jumping over Fredo’s desk. Really top notch security here.

To round things off, Castle makes fun of Haldane for losing the limo much to Brogan’s delight. She’s making more of a meal out of it than is strictly necessary, but it’s nice to see Jane having some fun with Jack nonetheless.

That’s not the sort of label you want to find slapped on a tea urn.

A rather jittery Jorry phones up Rik with concerns about where his organ donations are coming from. Rik acknowledges that the paperwork is “unorthodox” but otherwise fine. Then he says that they’ve been robbing graves to harvest the organs, which sounds rather less than fine. So, that means Jorry’s in on the fact that the organs don’t come from legitimate donors. We could have guessed that from the start but I think it’s important we figure out exactly what Jorry does and doesn’t know about the setup because it’s not always easy to follow.

Jorry is pleased to learn that the liver for his Clyben patient, Mrs Vork, is going to be shipped to the spaceport within the hour. What he presumably doesn’t know is that the liver is about to plopped out of the very unwilling, and very much alive, Udo Wirt. Needless to say, it’s quite weird to see a topless purple man with four arms strapped to a table. The laser scalpel seems to be directed considerably lower than where a human might keep their liver. Just to be clear, in humans at least, a living donor can give a portion of their liver for transplant without suffering ill effects because a healthy liver can regenerate itself. I’m guessing Rik and Pike plan on taking out the whole thing in this case so Wirt’s outlook isn’t so good.

Some time later, Brogan and Haldane are back out on the streets of Demeter – the dirigible still flying along happily in the background. Haldane sums up the story so far rather quickly which means you have to be listening really carefully to catch the full update – Dead Tarn missing organs, two Creons snatched a Clyben, the transplant clinics seem legit, and then there’s mouthy Speedy. When you play back the scenes slowly and break it down piece by piece as I’m doing now, the plot is obvious and easy to follow. But we’re halfway through the episode and a lot has happened in rapid succession, so casual viewers at home would be forgiven for getting lost by this point.

Fortunately, Brogan at least has a good grasp on the situation and is ready to continue the investigation. Haldane is disturbed by how well Brogan understands the plot of this episode.

Funny how we’ve never seen a member of the Clyben species in any previous episodes of Space Precinct, and this week we’ve had three! A four-armed courier is bringing cases and packages into a blue room with a desk. We aren’t actually told that this is the spaceport – frankly, it looks like another doctor’s waiting room – but it’s supposed to be the spaceport. An establishing shot would have been nice. Brogan is checking on the organs which have been shipped in and out via the spaceport, but poor Haldane still finds the whole business rather icky. Just at the right moment, a Tarn arrives with a Clyben liver for Dr. Jorry…

A Clyben liver for Dr. Jorry, you say? Sometimes this police lark is a doddle.

The police cruiser flies away from the particularly impressive spaceport. Look at all those lil’ spaceships down there. It makes Demeter City feel futuristic and alien, rather than a copy of New York.

After that quick visit to the spaceport, Lieutenant Brogan is ready to bring his colleague up to speed on the plot… again. We seem to be having a lot of these chats. Jorry imported three Tarn kidneys which almost certainly came from the John Doe at the beginning of the episode, and a Clyben liver which almost certainly came from Udo Wirt and is on its way to Mrs Vork. But they conclude that because the paperwork seems legit there’s nothing they can do about it… or because the episode still has 20 minutes left they can’t wrap things up just yet. So, Brogan concludes that they need to try and catch Dr. Jorry making a mistake.

Haldane has a look on his face which suggests he’s had an idea. Brace yourselves…

Back at the clinic, Jorry is operating on Mrs Vork. He’s able to sit on the other side of the room with a very limited view of his patient while operating the robot arm. No face masks or surgical scrubs either. This is a version of the future where you can sit in comfort and do a liver transplant while reading your emails… so long as they’re saved on a floppy disk.

Officer Castle bursts in wearing her shortest skirt and her grandma’s reading glasses to conduct a little bit of blatant entrapment. She calls herself Amanda Sparks and claims to work for the Demeter City Times as a reporter writing about organ transplants. Needless to say this stunt was definitely Haldane’s idea – he’s a “go big or go home” sort of guy, and we’ve established his belief that all men are susceptible to the charms of the opposite sex. What I’m not sold on is the fact that Castle agreed to go along with it. Last week’s episode, Time To Kill, perfectly demonstrated that she plays by the rules. The Castle we’ve seen across the series so far would definitely refuse on moral grounds, and probably take quite a lot of offense to being objectified in this way. Not to mention, Simone Bendix herself was made to feel quite uncomfortable about doing this scene. According to Space Precinct Unmasked, someone on the production suggested the whole thing be taken further with a padded bra and breast enlargement surgery!

Jorry agrees to the interview, keen to encourage more donors (and to spend more time looking at the so-called Amanda Sparks). The line of questioning goes exactly how you might expect. He brags about the Clyben liver transplant he’s just conducted, Castle mentions the kidnapped Clyben on Paradise Street, and he assures her that the donor died in a mining disaster.

Castle announces that there have been no fatal mining accidents on the A-16 asteroid for over six months. Jorry looks twitchy but confesses to nothing.

Castle is sent packing, having learned bog all that they didn’t know already. In a rather funny little moment, the receptionist looks very pleased with herself as she shows “Amanda Sparks” out of the office, as if she’s in on the whole evil scheme too.

Before the commercial break, Dr. Jorry glares over his shoulder and the music swells, just so we’re all sure he’s a baddie now.

Podly is furious… obviously. Apparently some of this entrapment scheme was Brogan’s idea too which makes it even more ludicrous. Brogan admits that Jorry probably isn’t a murderer. The whole exercise is written off as pretty pointless. Castle is silent throughout because, frankly, there’s nothing this character would ever say to justify or apologise for trying to entrap someone with a short skirt – it just wouldn’t have happened in the first place.

Brogan and Haldane are taken off the case and replaced with Orrin and Romek. For good measure Podly yells at Castle for being out of uniform – a joke we all knew was coming. But here’s something none of us could see coming: Captain Podly raising his eyebrows and nodding lustfully while watching Castle leave the room… Is everyone in heat this week or something? If you have to do that joke (which you don’t), the LAST character to do that joke with is her crotchety old boss and respected family man, Captain Podly!

It would have been nice to have a moment with Castle calling Haldane and Brogan complete idiots, but instead she leaves quickly. Again, there’s nothing she can really say about this situation that would feel in-character. Instead, Brogan asks Haldane to cover for him while he goes and has a chat with someone. Apparently being told they’re off the case has no impact on Brogan and Haldane and they just carry on regardless. There’s a difference between being maverick cops and just disregarding any tension raised by having the boss yell at them.

Jorry has some visitors in the form of Rik and Pike. He complains about the reporter asking questions about Udo Wirt’s disappearance. Hang on a minute… he still believes Castle was a real reporter? Okay, so Podly objected to the entrapment stunt on principle, not because he received a complaint from Dr. Jorry. It would also seem from this conversation that Jorry genuinely didn’t know that the transplanted liver came from the kidnapped Udo Wirt. I guess he knew they were grave robbing but he didn’t know they were actually killing people. So, now he wants out. Rik and Pike say they’re in too deep and suggest Jorry might lose his house… which either means he’ll get behind on mortgage payments if the business fails, or that they’ll threaten to blow up the place if he doesn’t play ball – that’s probably an important distinction to make. With Jorry back on board, Pike asks for the species required for their next donor – a line which Richard James delivers with delightful menace.

Cut to… a mime artist. Well it’s fair to say I wasn’t expecting that. This is Jason Maverick, a bonafide mime artist and street performer, and he’s essentially just been called on to the Space Precinct set to do his regular act.

Speedy is too engrossed in the performance to notice that he’s been scanned by Rik and Pike’s magic cane thing. How that cane manages to read complex biological data from a quick glance at a victim’s shoes, I don’t know. Yes, it would seem that Speedy is the next potential candidate for an involuntary organ donation. Fortunately though – and this isn’t explained – the orb on the cane flashes red which means the boy is not a perfect tissue and blood match.

Meanwhile, Patrick Brogan rejects the services of a prostitute accosting him in broad daylight… just in case you thought the show had completely lost its moral compass.

Brogan joins Speedy to watch the end of the show alongside a collection of other colourful characters including droopy-face-man, and the green wig thief we saw earlier.

Speedy refuses to talk to Brogan in broad daylight because of that all-important street cred he has going on…

So, Brogan lifts the kid up and drags him to his “office.” Ooo, tough-guy-Brogan, bullying a child.

The poster in the background of this shot is selling “Morrdals – Naturally Bottled Air.” I’m sure the people in the slums of Demeter City have a lot of disposable income to spend on fresh air.

Brogan’s office turns out to be his car… the one we saw destroyed when it crashed into the surface of Merlin’s Asteroid back in Body & Soul. Maybe he got a new one? It sure doesn’t look new though. Even in the broadcast order for the series, Body & Soul always came before Deadline so no matter which way you cut it this doesn’t make much sense.

Brogan breaks the news about Wirt, but tries to inspire hope that he’s still alive. Speedy confirms that he probably isn’t alive because Wirt would have escaped and come back by now if he could. The boy opens up. He explains that his parents died when they “walked off a colony ship right into the Tarn and Creon riots.” Ooo – there’s a juicy bit of lore about the politics on Altor. Meanwhile, Wirt saved the orphaned Speedy, raised him, and taught him a trade in being a petty thief. Speedy takes pride in it, and Brogan can’t help but admire the boy’s cheerful optimism.

Liz phones up, hungry for peanut butter. Oh yeah, that’s still a subplot.

Speedy is captivated by the whole thing and calls Liz “cute,” because truly everyone is drooling over one another this week. He seems quietly impressed by Brogan trying to do something nice for his kid and suggests he visits the appropriately named “Terra Deli,” known for its Earth cuisine.

Despite the fact that Terra Deli is clearly visible across the street, Brogan shuts his door as if he’s about to drive over there instead of taking the 5-second walk.

Rik and Pike are sitting at the deli counter sipping coffee when Brogan comes in on the hunt for peanut butter. Look at the way Pike sits with his napkin tucked in like a proper gent.

The deli owner looks at Brogan like he’s a fool, but suggests he might get some peanut butter in later. Yes – there is hope! Cor, I’m right invested in this peanut butter thing. Brogan writes down his contact details and leaves, but not before Rik gives those jeans a quick zap.

A double green light means that Brogan is a match for tissue and blood. They snatch Brogan’s address from the deli owner’s spike. Why did Brogan leave his address in the first place? Name and phone number, sure, but was he seriously expecting a home delivery when he lives all the way out in the suburbs space station?

Back home, Brogan drinks for his “prime elder” receptacle, a fun sci-fi spin on a “world’s best dad” mug.

Matt comes out of his room to jab at his father about the peanut butter thing, followed by Liz who gives Patrick some false hope that she’s given up on the idea… when in fact she just doesn’t care whether it’s smooth or crunchy. Okay, I was on board with the whole cute peanut butter subplot thing but I’ll go right off it Liz if you start being annoying.

Sally’s outside sitting in the vat of dry ice vapour. She encourages her husband to take off his clothes and climb in because gosh damnit everyone’s so ruddy horny this week! He declines because he’s in a thoroughly grumpy mood about the peanut butter, and probably about the whole murderous organ harvesting thing too.

The door bell rings so Patrick goes to answer it. Sally starts to snooze because, let’s be honest, a bowl of pink smoke is probably toxic.

Patrick appreciates the sound of his children playing video games. At least they’re getting along.

Pike is impersonating a Terra Deli employee making a home delivery of peanut butter. Genius. I’ve got to give him credit for that. If Brogan is stupid enough to leave his address and expect peanut butter to be delivered straight to his door, he deserves everything he gets.

Sure enough, it’s not peanut butter. At best, it’s peanut butter flavoured knockout gas which is famously not as good.

Sally wonders where her hubby has got to and hops out of the noxious fumes to go and find him. The camera tastefully avoids showing too much of her getting dressed because, y’know, this is a family programme. Despite that, I’m confident all this hot tub business was put in the script purely so we could have another female member of the cast out of her costume. It sure isn’t there for the benefit of the story.

With a flapping net curtain, a broken mug, and the front door left wide open, Sally Brogan suspects trouble… or a freak accident involving the mug trying and failing to chuck itself out of a window.

After the commercial break, the place is swarming with DCPD. Podly, Haldane, Castle, Took, Orrin, and Romek are all there to investigate. I know Brogan’s their mate and everything but I’d be inclined to say six officers is overkill. Sally and Liz are worried but Matt is quick to assert that his father can look after himself – sweetly reminding us that Matt thinks highly of his dad.

Mrs. Albright from next door saw Brogan getting into a limo with two Creons. She looks like she was dragged off the set of Coronation Street. Podly’s orders get a bit mixed up here so let’s break it down:

1. He tells Castle and Took to go and investigate Paradise Street further.
2. Then he instructs Haldane to “go for it” when Jorry is mentioned.
3. Then he tells Castle and Took that they’re with Haldane.

Sorry, what? So Haldane’s going after Jorry while Castle and Took go to Paradise Street, but they’re also all travelling together? Is Jorry’s clinic on Paradise Street? That hasn’t been mentioned. Or maybe the plan to investigate Paradise Street was immediately made secondary when Haldane mentioned Jorry? Look, in the grand scheme of things none of this matters but it would be nice if the dialogue made sense.

With his arms strapped above his head, Brogan actually seems more relaxed on that operating table than I’ve seen him in ages. Sure, he’s about to have his heart ripped out of his body, but at least he looks comfy. Dr. Jorry surprises Rik and Pike by inviting himself over to collect the donation himself in the name of good business. They agree to have him picked up.

Dr. Jorry’s video screen switches off to reveal a picture of a child… presumably his own. One would hope so.

Haldane and Castle were listening in the whole time. Jorry very much works for them now. It’s a pity we were robbed of the moment Jorry met Castle and realised “Amanda Sparks” wasn’t a real person.

Well, we assume Jorry’s working with the police now. He secretly grabs a giant syringe which I guess he could stick in whomever he chooses. That’s a fun game we can play later.

In Took and Castle’s cruiser, Haldane is confined to the back seat. They’re following the limo at a safe distance to avoid detection – except the skies above Demeter are always devoid of traffic, so following another vehicle at any distance automatically looks conspicuous. Haldane admits to Podly that Jorry still isn’t entirely trustworthy but they’ve got to use him to find Brogan. Took tries to keep track of the limo but struggles because it’s an especially cloudy night.

We cut to the limo showing Rik, Pike and Udo Wirt sitting inside – a glaring continuity issue. Unless Steven Berkoff has turned bright purple in the last 30 seconds, I don’t think they used the right shot in the edit.

They park up inside the dirigible and become indetectable once again.

The answer has been staring us in the face the whole time, but Castle is the one to finally work out that the limo is inside the dirigible. At last!

Brogan’s gurney is loaded up with a giant oxygen tank… which actually doesn’t make much sense when you think about it – why would Rik and Pike need oxygen when they’re intentionally killing all of their patients? Anyway, Brogan wakes up and realises he’s tied down by the flimsiest looking strap and buckle you’ve ever seen. You’d have thought Rik and Pike, being professional kidnappers, would use proper knots.

Before Brogan can unclip himself, Jorry is escorted into the room. Lightning flashes in an attempt to make Dr. Jorry look extra evil. An element of danger is introduced as the dirigible gets knocked sideways slightly by the thunder. Rik reveals that Brogan is a cop. Apparently they all believe that’s a good thing because it will get the meddlesome police out of the way. Yes, because killing a police officer famously goes unchecked by other police officers.

Unseen by the others, Jorry helps Brogan with his oh-so-difficult buckle.

Meanwhile, the cops are stuck outside wondering how they’re going to get into the dirigible. A voice booms out from the giant ship, advertising a live debate from the Creon Community Council – the message in question is clearly being read by Kieron Jecchinis doing his Officer Orrin voice.

Dr. Jorry insists on properly sedating Brogan to avoid damaging his heart before the transplant. There’s a lovely pause for some tension as Jorry looms over our hero with his absolutely enormous needle.

And so, it all kicks off. Jorry turns on Rik with the needle and the pair struggle while a lightning storm rages outside. Mucho drama.

Rik shoots Jorry who flops down on the sofa. Why do they keep a sofa in their makeshift operating theatre?

With that handy oxygen tank I mentioned earlier, Brogan releases the pressure and blasts his gurney straight into Rik. Guess what? There’s no way oxygen for medical purposes would be stored under such pressure that releasing it for a few seconds would catapult you across a room. But I suppose it would be wrong for me to preach about realism when we’re watching a space cop show set in the future, so yeah, I’ll admit it’s pretty cool.

Brogan and Rik toss each other across the room. We’ve been short on fight sequences in this episode and I’ve been missing them a bit after we over-indulged last week with Time To Kill.

Yup, that’s the top of the set – lit up by lightning so we can all see it.

Outside, Took is unsuccessful as she tries to unlock the door to the dirigible with various codes. Nice to see her playing an active role this week.

Rik gets a good bonk on the nose from Brogan.

In the interest of fair play, Brogan decides against caving the guy’s head in and instead drops Rik’s unconscious body on the sofa next to Jorry. Our hero takes a gun and legs it. Bravo!

Orrin and Romek arrive to assist. With Richard James busy as Pike, Orrin and Romek haven’t had much to do this week. I’m sure Lou Hirsch was thrilled.

Haldane calls up over the P.A. to let them know the game’s up. Pike instinctively runs for the limo to make a getaway. Never mind checking on his colleague. It’s every man for himself.

Brogan arrives in time to shoot at the blaggard but the hatch opens and Pike escapes unscathed. A great mix of live action and models here. Obviously the live action limo still looks like a regular limo, but Alan Hume keeps the lights low enough that it isn’t too egregious.

The limo whips past Castle, Took, and Haldane but they need to rush inside before the hatch closes!

The model set of the dirigible hangar is noticeably more spacious than the live action set. Brogan is also much more static on the model set.

Brogan straps in as the hatch closes behind the cruiser. Rik has woken up and starts shooting. “GO, GO, GO!” Brogan yells. It’s all very exciting.

Wallop! The cruiser crashes straight through the bulkhead. Apparently if you crash a cruiser into a cafe you write it off, but if you crash into the wall of a spaceship it’s totally fine.

The live action set remains perfectly still but by thunder do the actors and camera operator try to sell us on the idea they’re flying.

Rik aims to blow a hole in the cruiser but ends up spectacularly blowing up part of the dirigible instead. Not very smart.

Orrin and Romek zip across the city at dizzying speeds to chase after the limo. Yes, Richard James is chasing himself. What a bonkers show.

Pike is flying straight towards the dirigible and, well, you can probably guess what happens next.

Blimey.

Yeah, you’re gonna need sunglasses to look directly at this one…

The exploding dirigible basically engulfs the whole of Demeter City in a ball of fire as far as the eye can see. It’s the type of disaster that would normally obliterate skyscrapers and kill thousands of people. For Space Precinct, this is just an average Monday night. We just sort of have to assume everyone is fine unless they’re the bad guys.

Back at the station house, these two slackers abandon their coffee break the moment Podly arrives in the room.

Podly explains that Rik and Pike’s accomplice at the spaceport has been picked up and will tell them everything they need to know. I mean, everyone else involved is dead after that explosion, so there’s not that much left to wrap up here. Haldane asks for a raise but the Captain still hasn’t quite forgiven the lads for putting Officer Castle in a skirt and simply agrees not to suspend them.

Speedy lives up to his name and hops over the desk while Sergeant Fredo searches for his favourite bit of paperwork.

Haldane tries to sincerely welcome back his partner, but Brogan’s stoicism prevents him from taking the compliment seriously. You could call it toxic masculinity, but in the 90s it would have just been called being a man.

Speedy arrives with a gift and a bucket load of sass. He refuses to answer any of Brogan’s stupid, dumb-dumb, stupid-dumb questions.

It’s the nectar of the gods and the butter of the finest nuts – peanut butter! Gee, I sure am relieved to know that plot thread has been wrapped up. Although, if I’m honest, I would have liked to see a whole series arc about Brogan’s hunt for peanut butter. You’ve got to admit there’s potential there. Who wouldn’t want to watch our hero getting into whacky scrapes every week and following leads in a quest for peanut butter – a quest which ultimately leads Brogan to discover more about himself? The series finale would be Brogan in an all-out battle with Mr. Peanut.

Speedy keeps quiet about his sources, which means it’s probably peanut butter ground up with bits of dead guy.

The Brogan clan arrive and Speedy feels slightly out of place in the happy family environment, just to really tug at our heartstrings. The kids are pleased that their prime elder is alive, but Liz is absolutely thrilled that he brought her peanut butter. The label says it’s “American” and “Crunchy” which, in my opinion, is definitely the right combination. Notice how Zil, Liz’s emotional support animal she normally communicates all of her darkest feelings through, has been absent for this whole episode? I guess hope for peanut butter was all Liz needed to start feeling okay about herself again… or perhaps the Zil puppet was in the repair shop. Meanwhile, Speedy has disappeared before Brogan can give the kid due credit for finding the sacred ‘nut butter.

The Brogan family head for home, no doubt dreaming of all the incredible things they can now do with their jar of peanut butter.

Speedy emerges from cover and enjoys a quiet moment sampling the station house’s coffee. It’s terrible, of course, even for a starving orphan. What self respecting police station would have good coffee?

But for a wholesome conclusion to the episode, Brogan invites Speedy home for a peanut butter sandwich. Doesn’t it just melt your heart? Look at those boys smiling at each other. It’s the son Brogan never had! Okay, yes, Brogan already has a son, but this is a son he actually likes!

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Yes, I admit it, I did enjoy Deadline. But it’s nowhere near perfect so let’s address its flaws first. The main problem with this one is how much time characters spend talking about the plot in a convoluted manner in order to make it sound more confusing than it actually is. Strip out some of the exposition and the story becomes much easier to follow. Also, I suggest stripping out some of the obvious padding like the street scenes and that “Amanda Sparks” entrapment attempt. Yes, they bring the world to life and develop character, but there are ways of doing that without bewildering the audience or defying the way our favourite characters normally act. And, of course, I have to comment on the usual slew of bizarre design choices – whoever dressed those background artists for the street scenes was working on the wrong show.

Now here’s some things I liked about Deadline. The guest characters are all terrific. Rik and Pike are a great pair of villains and it’s a shame they were killed off at the end because they could have been for Space Precinct what Masterspy and Zarin were for Supercar. Truan Munro gives a standout performance as Speedy – a character played with so much heart. Steven Berkoff is fantastic as Dr. Jorry by doing what he does best and keeping us guessing right up to the end whether he’s a goodie or a baddie. The Clyben were another strong alien creation for the series and Udo Wirt’s brief appearance was nevertheless very memorable. The dirigible was a great focal point for the story, even if the tremendous destruction of the model was a tad over the top.

However, what I really appreciated about Deadline was the balance between the ghoulish topic of organ harvesting, and that fluffy peanut butter subplot. There weren’t too many ridiculously sharp U-turns to take us from one story thread to the other and the writers managed to weave them together rather well. In early episodes like Double Duty you could practically hear the clunky gear shifts as the story moved from A-plot to B-plot to C-plot. Here, the combination of different tones and settings is rather more elegant, meaning subplots help to flesh out the characters rather than distract us from the story. It’s still not perfect, but, at this stage, Space Precinct does seem to have a grip on how to incorporate all its elements and help them serve one another. What a shame we’re a third of the way through it already!